(30 October 2013, Hong Kong) Asia’s leading annual design event returns for its 11th edition from the 2nd to 7th December, 2013, at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. This year, the conference will feature the “Belgian Spirit”, focusing on Belgium’s international importance at the highest level of design and creativity.
In selecting Belgium as this year’s BODW’s partner country, the forum aims to showcase the highly influential Belgian and Flemish perspective in exhibitions, forums and programs, as well as their key role in the growing business of design, innovation and branding. BODW is a unique platform for sharing knowledge on design issues and is driven by exchange among participants. It was announced today that Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium has chosen Hong Kong to be her first overseas destination since she ascended the throne in July 2013.
More than 20 key Belgian designers will attend the forum to share unique insights, including: world-renowned architect Charles Kaisin who conceptualized the controversial K-bench, Marina Yee who is a famous “Antwerp Six”, furniture designer Xavier Lust who specializes in innovative and simple world class furniture art pieces, Anne Chapelle, CEO of the esteemed fashion brands Ann Demeulemeester and Haider Ackermann which have taken the world by storm, Flemish automobile legend Lowie Vermeersch who designed numerous legendary concept cars, including the Ferrari 458 Italia and Maserati Birdcage, Red Dot Design Award 2013 designer Alain Gilles for his Welded Table and Dutch hat designer for the royals and celebrities Elvis Pompilio.
Other internationally renowned speakers include: Richard Florida who was hailed the “Voice of Innovation 2010” by BusinessWeek, Pritzker Prize winner Toyo Ito, Patrick Le Quément, the “godfather” of car design who designed Ford, Volkswagen, Audi and Renault, Italian industrial designer maestro Stefano Giovannoni , three-time Golden Compass Award winner Matteo Thun, industry mentor and influential consultant Larry Keeley, current Deputy Mayor of Barcelona Antoni Vives Tomas and Kwon Young Gull, Museum of Art, Seoul National University & Former Deputy Mayor of Seoul share their experience and insights in transforming cities by design.
BODW has long been an anticipated event for exchanging on a wide range of design issues. Forum topics include: Cities Driven by Design, Culture & The City, Design for Experience, Fashion & Apparel, Technology for Design, Space & Design, Asian Design & Culture, and Product & Design. In addition to the three days forum, special events taking place during the week will include DETOUR, the BrandAsia Forum, the DesignEd Asia Conference, the Technology For Design Seminar, as well as the annual Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) Awards Gala Dinner.
About Business of Design Week
The Hong Kong Design Centre has been the organizer of Business of Design Week (BODW) since 2002. It is an annual international event aimed at promoting design and strengthening ties between the design and business communities. Each year, BODW attracts design and business elites from around the world to Hong Kong. The world’s attention is drawn to current design issues through various exhibitions, international forums and outreach activities tailored to provide designers, business leaders, educators, SMEs and the public with communication opportunities to build strong business and commercial development. It is a world-class platform for the exchange of ideas, and an internationally renowned annual design event.
